Akaroa Village Inn

The location was great, and the unit had both an assigned outdoor parking space and a garage. We stayed in Les Troupes Unit 7, a three-storey place with three bedrooms and 2.5 baths. The layout puts one bedroom and bathroom on the bottom level off the garage, the living room, kitchen, and half bath in the middle, and two bedrooms plus a three-quarter bath upstairs. The garage bathroom was very utilitarian, and I wouldn’t want my kids in that ground-floor bedroom if I were travelling with family. The unit felt quite tired and outdated, with a hole in the bedroom carpet, mildew on the bottom of the fish-pattern shower curtain, and age-discolored curtains. Reviews may vary a lot because the lodging has units in multiple buildings.

At $319 a night, this was totally overpriced, worth half that at best. The room itself was lovely, to be fair, but finding the entrance took a while. At reception, a young girl in Jean pants with the inside pockets sticking out greeted us, and the ice cream shop in the foyer made the whole thing look like a makeshift horse stable. It’s a jumble of units sprawled out as the place has grown. Not a good experience.

We’ve been on a three-week holiday in New Zealand, and all the other accommodation our travel agent booked has been excellent. Akaroa Village Inn was a real disappointment at first. Room 60 felt musty and old, with a badly worn sofa and carpet. From the other reviews, I suspect it depends a lot on which room you get. We spent valuable time trying to change hotels, then negotiated a move to a penthouse suite at extra cost. That room was still a little dated, but it made for a comfortable two-night stay.

Dreadful. We were there January 26, three people in room 67 for $379. The bathroom was cramped and dated, with dirty grout, dust caked on the extractor, filthy grout around the shower, a nasty brown toilet stain, a discoloured basin, and rust all along the pipes. There was no soap when we arrived; later we got two thin tablets, and one broke when it fell on the floor. No tissues either. The kitchen was dated, the microwave old and awkward, there was a plunger but no coffee, the cutlery didn’t match, and a power outlet was dirty. Paint was worn in lots of places. I’d never stay there again.